L.A.'s primary strategy for homelessness has been political theatre
In a city of nearly four million people grappling with homelessness, housing costs, and civic frustration, Los Angeles has narrowed its mayoral contest to two Democrats — incumbent Karen Bass and progressive challenger Nithya Raman — after a week of mail-ballot counting gradually revealed the shape of a race that surprised many. A celebrity Republican candidacy drew national attention but not enough votes to matter, leaving the city to choose between an established order and a call for deeper change. The outcome is a reminder that in democratic life, the slow accumulation of ordinary ballots often speaks more clearly than spectacle.
- Bass entered the runoff weakened, capturing less than 35% of primary votes despite endorsements from Newsom, Harris, and Pelosi — a rare sign of incumbent fragility in a race she was expected to dominate.
- Spencer Pratt's celebrity candidacy collapsed at the ballot box, proving that national media attention and reality-TV notoriety cannot substitute for a genuine political coalition.
- Raman trailed on election night but climbed steadily as late-arriving mail ballots — disproportionately cast by Democrats in the race's final days — reshaped the results over nearly a week of counting.
- The November runoff will force Raman to move beyond her progressive base and build coalitions across LA's vast ethnic and geographic diversity, a test she has not yet faced at this scale.
- The central fault line is homelessness: Bass frames the choice around public safety and order, while Raman calls the city's current approach political theater that moves suffering from block to block without solving anything.
Los Angeles will send two Democrats to a November mayoral runoff — an outcome that took nearly a week of mail-ballot counting to confirm and eliminated a celebrity Republican from contention along the way. Nithya Raman, a progressive city council member, advanced to face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass after trailing on election night and climbing steadily as late-arriving ballots were processed. Spencer Pratt, the reality television personality from The Hills, had drawn national attention as a Republican challenger to the city's Democratic establishment, but his candidacy could not convert attention into votes.
The matchup carries quiet historical weight. Bass, who took office in 2022, is the first Black woman to serve as Los Angeles mayor. Raman, if elected, would be the first South Asian woman to hold the position. They are former allies — Raman initially endorsed Bass before entering the race herself — now representing genuinely different visions of governance. Bass carries the backing of Governor Newsom, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, and major labor unions. Raman was elected to the council with support from the Democratic Socialists of America and has positioned herself as a challenger to what she calls a broken status quo.
Bass's primary showing — under 35 percent — revealed an incumbent in a vulnerable position. The slow count is a California hallmark: mail ballots postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days are processed roughly in the order they arrive, and large numbers of Democrats held their ballots until the final days, benefiting both Bass and Raman over Pratt.
The race will turn on homelessness, housing costs, and deteriorating city services. Raman, born in India and trained in urban planning at Harvard and MIT, has promised to accelerate housing construction and criticized the city's encampment-clearing approach as mere displacement. She has shifted her earlier opposition to no-camping zones near schools, signaling pragmatic flexibility. Bass's campaign, meanwhile, has framed the contest as a referendum on public safety, characterizing Raman as someone who allows encampments near schools and cuts police funding.
To win in November, Raman must persuade voters who chose other candidates — not necessarily against her, but for someone else — to see her as the better path forward. Bass retains deep establishment support, but her grip on the office has visibly loosened. The runoff will ask Los Angeles whether it wants to move further left to confront long-standing failures, or hold to the continuity an embattled incumbent still represents.
Los Angeles will send two Democrats to a November runoff for mayor, an outcome that surprised many observers and eliminated a celebrity Republican from contention. Nithya Raman, a progressive city council member, advanced to face incumbent Mayor Karen Bass after a week of mail-ballot counting that gradually shifted the race's shape. Spencer Pratt, the reality television personality known from The Hills, had drawn national attention as a Republican willing to challenge the city's Democratic establishment, but his candidacy did not generate enough votes to reach the final round. The result sets up an unexpected rematch between two former allies—Bass and Raman had worked together before Raman entered the race late, after initially endorsing Bass for re-election.
The matchup carries historical weight. Bass, who took office in 2022, is the first Black woman to serve as Los Angeles mayor. Raman, if elected, would be the first South Asian woman to hold the position. Both are Democrats competing in a heavily Democratic city of nearly four million people, but they represent different visions of how to govern. Bass embodies the Democratic establishment, backed by Governor Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and major labor unions. She served in the state legislature and Congress before becoming mayor. Raman, by contrast, was elected to the council with support from the Democratic Socialists of America and has positioned herself as a challenger to what she calls a broken status quo.
The primary results revealed Bass in a vulnerable position. With incomplete returns, she had captured less than 35 percent of the vote—a weak showing for an incumbent. Raman had trailed in third place on election night, but as Los Angeles County processed mail ballots that arrived in the race's final days, her vote share climbed steadily. The slow counting process, a California hallmark, meant that determining the runoff took nearly a week. Mail ballots are counted if postmarked by Election Day and received within seven days, processed roughly in the order they arrive. Election data showed that large numbers of Democrats held their ballots until the final days, which benefited both Bass and Raman over Pratt.
The race will turn on how Los Angeles addresses its most visible crises: homelessness, deteriorating streets and sidewalks, and soaring housing costs. Raman has promised to accelerate housing construction, restore entertainment industry jobs, and improve city services. She has criticized the city's approach to homelessness as mere political theater—moving encampments from one neighborhood to another without solving the underlying problem. Born in India and educated at Harvard and MIT, where she studied urban planning, Raman has shifted her position on no-camping zones, which prohibit homeless people from setting up tents near schools and daycare centers. She voted against dozens of such measures on the council but has signaled she would not block them as mayor, suggesting a pragmatic adjustment to her earlier ideological stance.
Bass's campaign has framed the choice as a referendum on public safety and order. Her strategist Douglas Herman said the mayor looks forward to winning against an opponent who "allows encampments near schools and cuts the police force." The characterization reflects a fundamental disagreement about how to balance compassion for the homeless with the concerns of residents and business owners frustrated by visible disorder.
To win in November, Raman will need to expand well beyond her progressive base. Democratic consultant Bill Carrick noted that voters who did not support Raman in the primary were not necessarily voting against her—they were voting for someone else. Bass, by contrast, had voters actively choosing against her. That distinction matters. Los Angeles mayors are elected by building coalitions across the city's ethnic and geographic diversity, and Raman will need to persuade voters who preferred other candidates to see her as the better choice. She will face an incumbent with deep establishment support, but one whose grip on the office has visibly loosened. The November runoff will test whether Los Angeles voters want to move further left to address long-standing failures, or whether they prefer the continuity and establishment backing that Bass represents.
Citas Notables
What we are doing right now is just not working. L.A.'s primary strategy for homelessness has been to move encampments from one block to another.— Nithya Raman
A campaign against Nithya Raman, who allows encampments near schools and cuts the police force, is one Mayor Bass looks forward to winning.— Douglas Herman, Bass campaign strategist
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did Raman's vote share climb so much after election night when she started in third?
The mail ballots that arrived late in the race skewed Democratic, and Democrats who held their ballots until the final days apparently favored her more than they favored Pratt. It's a quirk of California's system—the last votes counted are often the most recent ones cast.
So Bass got less than 35 percent and still made the runoff. That seems weak for an incumbent.
It is weak. Normally an incumbent with that kind of support would be in serious trouble. But in a multi-candidate race, you don't need a majority to advance. Bass still finished ahead of Raman on primary night, which was enough.
What's the actual disagreement between them on homelessness?
Raman criticizes the current approach as theater—just shuffling encampments around the city without solving anything. Bass's team says Raman is too soft on encampments and police. Raman has actually moved closer to Bass's position by saying she wouldn't block no-camping zones as mayor, even though she voted against them before.
Is Raman's progressive base enough to win in November?
No. A consultant said she'll have to expand beyond her ideological core. Los Angeles is diverse—ethnically, geographically, economically. Mayors win by building coalitions. Raman has to convince people who voted for other candidates that she's the better choice.
What does Bass have that Raman doesn't?
Establishment backing—Newsom, Harris, Pelosi, labor unions. She's the sitting mayor with a record. But that record includes the city's ongoing struggles with homelessness and decay, which is why her support is soft.
So this is really about whether LA wants to move left or stay put?
Partly. But it's also about competence and vision. Raman promises faster housing, better streets, restored jobs. Bass promises stability and order. The city is frustrated either way.